The Time Between
by Age
Summary: Another story about the pod squad leaving Earth – actually it’s more about their return. M/M and M/L as well as a Maria and Liz friendship piece with a definite happy ending. Completed.


They were the darkest shade of purple that Maria Deluca had ever seen

The Time Between 

_By _Adrienne

_Summary:_ Another story about the pod squad leaving Earth – actually it's more about their return. A M/M and M/L as well as a Maria and Liz friendship piece with a definite happy ending.

_Rating:_ PG-13

_Email:_ AgeRose@aol.com

_Spoilers: _Up until and parts of Departure

_Disclaimer:_ Just me writing a little Roswell fiction at 1 am for the fun of it. No money is being made off of his. Leave me alone. ;)

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They were the darkest shade of purple that Maria DeLuca had ever seen. Almost black. The smile on her face refused to go away as she looked for a vase to place the flowers in. She loved how the forest green leaves mixed with the purple pedals, but even more, she loved the fact that she had even received flowers. No card accompanied the bouquet. A wistful sigh escaped her full lips as she rummaged around the kitchen.

"You're up rather early for the first day of vacation," Liz Parker mumbled sleepily as she came down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I know. We have got to get some curtains for the bedrooms. Or at least mine. The sun hits me smack in the face first thing."

"Who are the flowers from?"

"Michael."

"What?"

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

Liz collapsed tiredly onto one of the stools at the counter. "I'm sorry. It's just been a year already."

"I know," Maria muttered with sudden sadness. It was too early in the morning to face reality. But the two best friends had been facing it for an entire year already.

"They're really pretty," Liz commented in hopes of changing the subject.

"Yeah, aren't they? They were on the counter at the Crashdown. Or at least that's what Kyle said. Since he was there to help your dad open, he drove over and dropped them off before his shift started."

"What's the card say?"

"No card. Just this ribbon with my name written on it."

"Brody?"

"Probably," Maria responded with a dejected expression.

Time had gone by – three hundred and seventy-two days, but they both had stopped counting for fear of losing their last shreds of sanity. Jim Valenti had reclaimed his beloved job as Sheriff after Agent Duff put in a good word for him. He and Maria's mother, Amy, had grown so intimate that they began spending entire weekends off in the mountains. Maria, Liz, and Kyle Valenti returned to school as seniors, but they returned alone. The small desert town mourned once more over the loss of youths in Roswell, New Mexico. First Alex Whitman, the two girls' lifetime friend. And then Max and Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin, and Tess Harding. The town was impacted in sentiment. The loss suffered was no greater felt than in the hearts of Maria, Liz, and Kyle, however, despite the fact that they, the Sheriff, and later on Mr. and Mrs. Evans, were the only ones who knew the four hadn't truly died when the jeep rolled off the cliff early last summer. The following weeks were spent in mourning. The Evans' watched the video their children recorded for them. The shock was apparent, the fear for their children's safety obviously visible, but a certain relief also clung to their voices as they asked Liz and Maria endless questions about Max and Isabel's secret. They were still alive, and that allowed hope to manifest inside. 

"They're really pretty," Liz repeated, emphasizing the gesture.

"But Liz. I told Brody very politely to back off."

"He's a nice guy, Maria."

"I know. And he's also loaded. Not to mention sensitive. Every girl's wish-come-true, right? But I can't throw myself into a relationship yet. I don't know if I'll ever want to."

"I understand. I haven't been able to either. It's just that we've got to move on soon."

Maria didn't answer. She merely sniffed the flowers before letting the crystal vase rest upon the kitchen's window seal. 

The Czechoslovakians busted through the atmosphere in a tiny shuttle the previous year, and the humans left behind were about to embark on their second summer since the departure. Several people heard the explosion, but many interpreted it as thunder. A few people saw the trail of smoke form in a split second. Nothing was confirmed. No pictures were captured, but the rumors alone were enough to bring an unusually large number of tourists to the tiny town, which meant the Crashdown was as hectic as ever. It was Kyle who now cooked at the grill. Maria's heart plummeted every time she walked over to fetch an order and saw him there instead of Michael. She knew Kyle could see the disappointment in her face, but she couldn't help it, and he understood. He had lost an alien too. 

Maria and Liz forced themselves to move on, and as a drastic show of independence, they committed themselves to finding a place to live on their own. They ended up moving out as soon as they were both eighteen. It was a nice house, two stories high, but not too big. Both girls had saved the majority of their Crashdown earnings over the last three years and had no trouble affording it. It was convincing their parents that had been the hardest part. The fact that they were now eighteen and that the house was only five blocks away from the Crashdown made Amy as well as the Parkers settle their fears. Besides, Liz and Maria would look after each other better than anyone ever could. They insisted they had been best friends since before time. 

Maria hung out with Brody a few times, and Liz flung herself into Sean DeLuca's arms, but both lasted less than a week. Their hearts refused to be a part of a new relationship. Sean soon after left Roswell, and Brody flooded himself with abduction research after being rejected by Maria. 

"You know what would be the best thing ever? If Michael really did send me those flowers and he's outside somewhere, too stubborn to come in because he's afraid that I've moved on or something."

"Maria!" Liz pleaded.

"What? So sue me for being optimistic."

"I won't, but I will sue you for your optimism rubbing off on me," she replied with a smile, exasperated. 

Maria turned to glance out into the yard, half hoping to see him out there. When she didn't, she felt a small pang of disappointment, but the past year had made that feeling impact her less. 

"We can be happy without them," Liz stated more to herself than to Maria.

Maria snorted. "Yes. We've established that. But like you've already said. Every single guy from now on will only be second-best. We both lost our soul mates, Lizzie. We'll never be as happy as we could have been."

"We should have never gotten involved." The two girls looked at each other solemnly, and they both knew the statement couldn't be further from the truth. 

"We're both off today. What do you want to do?" Maria questioned as she took a sip of water.

"Let's get some sheets for the bedrooms. Then you won't be banging around in the kitchen so early in the morning anymore."

They both giggled and headed upstairs to change, unaware of the set of eyes watching them from the behind the bush on the side of the house. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

"It's been a long day," Kyle groaned from behind the counter.

"Hi, Kyle," Maria and Liz greeted in unison as they seated themselves on the swiveling stools. 

"Evening, ladies."

"Has it been busy?" Liz questioned.

"No. It's been a mad house!" 

All three laughed. "Be glad you're off in ten minutes then."

"Maria. We close in ten minutes. Of course I'm off. These open to closes really bite. You know that?" 

Maria rolled her eyes playfully. She and Liz had worked countless open to closes over the years. 

"So what are your plans for tonight?" 

"I'm going to rent a movie with Sara."

"Oooooh. Sara!" Maria said in the tone of a fourth grader. 

"It's called dating. You know, you two should try it. I know the intergalactic relationships kind of swayed you away from it, but the whole human-with-human concept is pretty normal. It's quite nice."

"Easy for you to say. You thought of Tess as a sister, man."

Kyle shrugged and stared down at the counter top, rubbing away ketchup stains with his cloth. No customers remained in the café. The lights were dim. The night stars twinkled above the building and the half moon's beams filtered in. Silence fell on top of the three friends' shoulders. It was clear that Tess was a topic that still pained him. As ready as he was to pursue a relationship, he couldn't get past the loss of a considered sister. He never really had that much time to be a brother in the first place. It hurt too much to even think about, and so he tried not to. 

"Sorry, Kyle," Maria finally spoke. Kyle shrugged it off with a laugh. 

"Time will heal all. At least I think. Eventually, I hope."

"Yeah," Liz agreed.

"Listen, we just came by to see if you wanted to come over after you closed here and watch a movie with us, but obviously you have other plans, so we'll catch ya tomorrow."

"All right. And, girls. I hope you take my advice on the whole dating thing."

"I wish it were that easy," Liz uttered as unexpected tears hit her. Maria looked over to her. 

"Interstellar relationships might have never been meant to be, but to have one at all has made life all the more worthwhile," Maria stated with a fiercely prided smile. She grabbed Liz's hand and started to leave. 

Kyle smiled at the two girls as they walked out. At times, he thought of them as so fragile, but they always turned around and showed him their interminable strength. A contented sensation filled in his stomach just then, almost full enough to overcome the emptiness living inside of him because of Tess. He was never gladder to be friends with Maria DeLuca and Liz Parker as he was in that moment. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

The mood had lightened up in the Jetta on the short drive back home. The girls were laughing again as Maria pulled up in front of their house. The sky was clearer than ever before. Looking at the vastness above them, they both silently wondered how far away Antar was. 

"Maria," Liz whispered.

"Yeah?" Maria answered in the same somber tone. 

"We keep saying that we have to move on, but we haven't."

"Michael probably got over me a long time ago," she stated, not really believing it. The night he left, she knew for the first time that he loved her more than she ever believed was possible. The way he held her so delicately as they made love. No, there was no denying that the love fortified was too strong to crumble after a year. But would seeing a completely new world change that? 

"We don't really want to forget them, Maria."

"We don't," she agreed. 

"And we are happy. I mean, I love living with my best friend. And we certainly find ways to have a blast, always. Kyle's becoming a bigger friend each day."

"And we were a part of a great thing, Liz. And as much happiness as we have now, and for as grateful as I am to have ever gotten the chance to love Michael Geurin and find friendship in Max and Isabel … I still want them home. Here, with us." 

Liz nodded silently, just as vehement as Maria. 

"So," Maria began again, "let's not try and forget about them anymore, okay? Because I couldn't bear it if we lost that too. We could never forget the past two years, so let's stop trying. It won't make anything better."

Liz stepped over to her best friend, embracing her in the midnight glimmer of stars. "We won't then. We'll talk about it whenever we need to. Tell stories of the good times over and over. And we'll still enjoy life now. Who knows. We just might find love again." 

Maria nodded, her head against Liz's shoulder. "Let's go inside." 

As Maria pressed the key into the lock and pushed the oak door open, the sound of Alex's voice hit their ears. Flashes of light threw themselves up against the walls, as both girls realized the television was on. They looked at each other with questioning expressions, but both made a face that the other easily read. Neither of them had left it on.

They walked inside and into the living room. The video Liz and Maria had made was playing. Left with nothing to do but fill in space last summer, they had decided to use Alex's computer equipment to edit their videos. Adding music and effects, they created a touching look into the lives of humans and aliens, only the video didn't show the distinction. The video was simply eight teenagers and the times they had together – both happy and poignant times. 

A single lamp beside the couch was turned on. Their eyes seemed to distract away from the television at the same time as they came across the figure sitting in the direct center of the sofa. He stood up quickly, blurring the girls' frightened vision so that they could only see what was happening when he was standing straight and still. Liz gasped as Maria frantically searched for Liz's arm. She quickly found it and grasped to her. 

Max stood before them. "I'm sorry," he said with a tremendous pain etched behind his voice. The look on his face was enough to make the strongest of hearts break in a mere moment. He was dressed in dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and his old jean jacket. He almost looked exactly the same as he did a year ago. Almost. The pain in his eyes was enough to visibly change his appearance, though. "I'm sorry we came in." 

"Max," Liz whispered, unable to move from her position beside her trembling friend. 

Tears were welling in everyone's eyes. Max could not tear his gaze from Liz. "I'm so sorry, Liz." She knew he wasn't apologizing for coming into their home while they were gone. His face grimaced in torture. "I didn't mean for you to see me. I didn't want to bring you two anymore pain. None of us did." 

Liz broke gently from her friend's grasp and rushed further into the living room. An odd feeling precipitated through her chest. It hurt so much that it was hard to breathe, but it was an exhilarating pain.The relief and blissful unexpectedness overwhelmed that pain instantly. 

Maria watched from her distance. As Liz ran into Max, she saw him step back, intercepting her petite body. His own body shook, and with another moment, the two collapsed onto their knees, still holding onto each other. His arms wrapped around her so tightly. His eyes were closed and his face was twisted in emotional turmoil. The absence of Liz Parker's touch for so long had impacted him the very second her skin touched his. 

"You said 'we' Max," Maria mumbled, almost too afraid to ask – almost too afraid to find out if Michael had returned as well. 

Max opened his moist eyes as motioned upstairs with his head. Maria nodded with a hard swallow. As she walked away from the emotional scene in the living room, she heard Liz ask if Isabel was okay. 

"She's at home with our parents," he muttered, his face buried in her hair. Their bodies shook with sobs, and they refused to let go. 

"Liz. I love you, Liz."

Maria quickly walked up the steps, her heartbeats increasing with every inch closer she came to the top. Once she was there, she was almost afraid to turn and look down the hall, but she turned despite the fear. 

Michael was there, just three yards in front of her, lying down in the hallway. He was still.

"Oh gawd," Maria cried as the emotional tidal wave slammed into her. She ran to him, falling down beside him and clasping his blue shirt all at the same time. Michael jerked in surprise, pulling away and sitting up just as quickly, preparing for defense. His breath was heavy in his throat from being startled. 

"It's me!" Maria shouted out, bringing her arms in front of her face for protection. Michael quickly put his hands down, realizing he was far away from the war that had been a part of him for the past year. A new form of alarm filled his lungs. He hadn't meant to fall asleep outside her bedroom door. He and Max were going to leave before she and Liz ever came back. But now, Maria was kneeling in front of him. She had him trapped. He pressed against the door, still trying to catch his breath. 

Michael looked down at his trembling hands. Maria's eyes followed. He had Maria's blue tank top clutched in his right hand. Finding it lying on the couch earlier in the evening, he couldn't help but grab it and take in the familiar scent of cypress and cedar and roses that was every bit Maria. The memories had flooded through his mind the second he brought the article of clothing to his nose. Now, as he looked down at it, he felt so wrong for even being there. He let his hand release the shirt, wanting to pretend he had never touched it. 

For once, Maria waited for Michael to be the first one to speak. Only he didn't know what to say. "You like the flowers?" He asked. His body was calming down, aside from his heart which still insisted on beating furiously inside his chest. 

"I knew you sent them to me," Maria resounded with utter joy. She leaped into his arms. "They were the most beautiful ones I've ever seen. Oh, Michael. Deep down, I knew you sent them to me." 

"Uh, Maria. I didn't plan on being here when you came back."

"What?"

"Maxwell and I were going to be gone before you and Liz came home," he tried explaining again.

She broke away from him in order to see his face. "Why?" she asked outrageously. 

Michael diverted his eyes quickly. Maria watched his bottom lip tremble. She reached to find his hand. 

"We all three decided that we weren't going to let you know we came back. It would have been asking too much of you guys after we said goodbye once already."

"Michael," Maria whispered. "You don't know how happy I am that you're back." She embraced his slightly quivering body again. And this time, flashes bombarded both of them. Michael had let go, allowing her to see him. 

She saw thick, dirty smoke, and she could hear sounds like explosions. She could feel the fear inside of Michael. The flashes were quick, but soon the devastating images gave way to warmer ones, memories she shared with him. The all important image of him collapsing in tears onto her bed after coming in out of the rain; her screaming at him in the middle of the woods, shouting at him that she wouldn't leave him; the two making love the last night they were together. 

"I left you, Maria. You told me that you wouldn't leave me. You cared about me too much. But I left you," he sobbed. She could feel her shirt becoming wet, but she didn't care. She gripped at him so tight that her knuckles were becoming white in color. 

"I'm sorry." His voice was pained, and it made Maria shudder.

"You came back, though." 

"I never wanted to leave. Believe me, Maria. I tried getting out of the pod chamber, but Tess said being together was the only way. Oh, Maria, she lied to us. She lied to all of us."

"I don't understand." She couldn't stop hugging him. The two latched onto each other as Michael squeezed his eyelids shut. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth about Tess. Not now anyway. She wouldn't be able to handle finding out that Tess Harding was responsible for Alex's death. 

"It's not important right now."

"What's important is that you guys are back."

"Back for good. I was so afraid that you had moved on. That's why we didn't want to let you know we had returned. We didn't want to screw your lives up."

"I would have waited forever, space boy."

"We can't stay here. Isabel, Max, and I. We can't stay in Roswell. They think we're dead."

"We'll move. Liz and I. We'll move out of the town if we can't come up with an explanation as to why everyone assumed you were dead. If we can't, then we'll move out of here with you in a heartbeat." 

The confidence touched Michael's heart. Being away from her for so long had worn him down, wearing down any last stonewalls that remained erected. He could no longer brood. He could only admit the love for his Maria that flew through his body.

"Don't be afraid, Maria. Don't ever be afraid of me leaving again. I'm here and I want nothing more than to stay. All those times I told you to stay away from me.… Going home and going through that war made everything change. This is home. Being with you is my fate, and it's all I want. I know I never said this enough. But, I love you, Maria."

"Oh gawd, Michael. I love you…. I love you!" she squealed happily, squeezing him even tighter. Liz was downstairs undoubtedly clinging to Max just as hard. Michael was in Maria's arms telling her everything she ever wanted to hear, and he was completely sincere about every single word. He wanted to hold onto her just as much as she needed to hold onto him. He was promising her that he'd never willingly leave her again. 

And so Maria and Liz embraced the loves of their life for the remainder of the night. Liz led Max upstairs and to her bedroom. Maria had already done the same with Michael. The night was filled with tears of the greatest relief ever felt by any of them. The night was filled with happiness of a blissful reunion. Best of all, the night was filled with intentions of an infinitely joyous future that Maria and Liz had almost given up on. 

The fear of lost time quickly diminished. After a year, feelings hadn't changed. As Maria slept in the comfort of Michael's arms and Liz in Max's, the days spent apart almost seemed to melt away, giving the sense that the time between had been nothing more than a horrible nightmare that had come to its end. It gave way to a bright dream, as the love falling over that house showed it could and forever would prevail over any destruction that threatened to destroy. Life had never been greater. 

The End. 


End file.
